Pelikans and smooth and tune from Appelboom

[Edward Selender]

OK, so am considering purchasing a special edition Pelikan M600 and choosing their free smooth and tune. I was excited to learn about the fact Appelboom offers the smooth and tune at no extra charge when you purchase the pen. I was also excited to learn one can request nibsmith/nibmeister Anabelle Hiller, to check the nib, as am reading some really great reviews about Anabelle and seems I've heard some good things about Appelboom too.

 

Was wondering if any of you have purchased any Pelikan fountain pens, especially the M600, from Appelboom. If so, what was your experience with them and would you recommend the smooth and tune from Apoelboom?

 

I have e-mailed a few questions to Joost Appelboom, and he has responded to all my e-mails both quickly and thoroughly. Am very impressed, but would love to get feedback from the FPN community.

[A Smug Dill]

Nibsmith.com also offers free “tune & smooth” as an option for new fountain pens it sells; and, years ago, when I bought my Pelikan M600 from Dan, free customisation (including regrind) was — and still is — included in the asking price as an option. 

 

As for Appelboom, I ordered a Pelikan M200 along with a whole bunch of other products (in order to get to the free international shipping order value threshold) earlier this year, but ultimately cancelled the entire order after it went unfulfilled (allegedly held up because one item still wasn't in stock in the timeframe I was originally advised, but communication and updates were quite lacking) for over a month, so I can't tell you how good their “smooth & tune” service is.

[Twister292]

All 3 of my Pelikans are from Appelboom (2x M815, 1 M805 Ocean Swirl). The Ocean Swirl and 1 of the 815s are from before they started offering the tune and smooth service. Fortunately both came with good nibs (though both have M nibs that write like B or even a 1.5B). One of the M815s was ordered with tune and smooth, and it writes like absolute butter on glass.

With Pelikans being very prone to over-polished nibs, it is definitely worthwhile to get that service at no additional cost.

[Carrau]

I have used Appelboom’s smooth and tune service for two pens, one a Pelikan, and both are excellent writers.  While the offered service by The Nibsmith is attractive and his workmanship excellent, many on FPN have experienced and reported significant communication lapses, which may be important, especially in comparison with Appelboom’s sterling reputation for communication.

[senzen]

Probably a very useful service; in my experience with mostly second hand Pelikans they seem to benefit from a deep nib unit cleaning, as well as a little tine flossing, no need so much to mess with the nib. YMMV!

[Bo Bo Olson]

I only buy new 200's from the factory and they are good and smooth a level under the butter smooth you want. It is the level I want, in I often use slick apper and butter smooth skates on them.

Butter smooth, which is what I got with my 605...a bit too much, in it had baby bottom. I got an extra fat nib so I could later make it a stub or CI. Stubbed from BB, to B/1.0.

 

So as far as I can tell what you are asking for is no baby bottom from what I consider a normal butter smooth in the upper price segment for a Pelikan nib. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

On 7/26/2024 at 2:52 PM, Twister292 said:

(though both have M nibs that write like B or even a 1.5B).

Yes modern 400/600/800 because of the double ball out side of the 200's do write half a width wider, than tear drop semi-vintage or stubbed vintage.

 

Do you have many Japanese pens? Or what pens do you have in B???

 

The main thing to remember is the 4001 inks are very dry (the driest major ink), so Pelikan makes a nib that is wet.....Waterman made a narrow nib, to balance it's wet ink.

 

Are you using a wet ink with a wet nib??? That can do M=B/B 1/2 rather easily.

 

 

I have a W.German small, 600 tear drop OBB that is 1/2 a width narrower than my post '97 805 double ball OBB.

 

If you want thinner I suggest semi-vintage tear drop tipped '82-97 nib....which also writes with a cleaner line than double ball. Can be swapped out.

 

Really though IMO the only thing to do with such a fat blobby nib is turn the bottom into a nice CI and have the top ball also made into a writing nib. So you can go two widths.

 

I don't chase modern, in I don't care for fat and blobby semi-nails and nails. The 200 though ruined as a now double ball nib some five years ago, at least is still springy.

 

The good thing about your 600 is you can put an older tear drop 200's steel or gold plated nib  on it....a lot cheaper than a gold 400. IMO having many of both, see those two nibs as =, and the 200's nib if one asks at Penboard.de could even be tear drop...same with the old pre-98 gold nibs.

Or just buy an old pre double ball 200 in the width you want.

 

Then there is the semi-flex stubbed 400 nibs which is well worth the effort to buy a old semi-flex 400 for it. The 140's nib would work just as well, but looks a bit dorky, being smaller.

 

I like regular flex '82 400, 85 200, w.Germany 800 for two toned shading inks...they are dryer than the wetter semi-flex........but there one has line variation, that is natural to the FLAIR nib and one don't have to do a circus act to make joy.

 

 

If I ever buy another 200, I do have enough nibs to swap out the double ball for a better nib.

I don't buy modern post '97...first they are expensive, and, they don't have a nib I like.

 

 

[jthole]

I had two pens checked, smoothed, and tuned so far by Appelboom in Laren. I have the advantage of being able to pick up the pens in person (but that’s a burden on my wallet …) and directly test them in the shop. So far, I am very happy with their services.

[Twister292]

15 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Do you have many Japanese pens? Or what pens do you have in B???

 

The main thing to remember is the 4001 inks are very dry (the driest major ink), so Pelikan makes a nib that is wet.....Waterman made a narrow nib, to balance it's wet ink.

 

Are you using a wet ink with a wet nib??? That can do M=B/B 1/2 rather easily.

 

The only actual B nib I have is a Platinum 3776 Oshino. I compare it to a B because both the Ms I have write almost like the TWSBI Eco I had in B. With drier inks like Sailor Kiwa-Guro they are more of a BM (like how Pilot has FM between F and M).

 

I choose the tune and smooth service because of the atrocious track record I have with Pelikan nibs having BBs.

[Bo Bo Olson]

IMO from my reading all Japanese inks are wet because of the overly narrow nibs...Like Waterman inks were considered wet, before Noodler fans think of Waterman inks as dry.

3 hours ago, Twister292 said:

The only actual B nib I have is a Platinum 3776 Oshino.

That is a M in western nibs. In Japanese nibs run one full width narrower than western, because of the tiny Japanese printed script. You are comparing apples and crab-apples.

 

But not a vintage or semi-vintage B.....B in modern MB (known as wider than semi-vintage...I have a very fat B=BB) the rest of my MB's are semi-vintage or vintage so @ as narrow as the Pelikan of those eras.)and modern Pelikan are 1/2 a width wider than the older nibs. Same then for M......

 

I have 200 nibs in M and B and EF. They are not as fat and blobby as the post 97 nibs....but mine are out side my two EF, one is double ball, all older tear drop tipped nibs.

I like M now, having started back into fountain pens by going vintage wide. OB, OBB, B & BB (fewer of them than OBB). M gives me a smooth ride, and can be used on classic rough laid or linen effect papers.

 

Well that was tear drop tipping on M&B, the two I got since they went double ball have been EF's...."narrow enough for me"...a wide guy not into narrow hair splitting.)

 

There use to be big flame Wars between Waterman narrower nib Fans and Pelikan  change out nib fans. That War died when Japanese nibs came along @ some 12 years ago, and said..."You know Waterman...youse fat."

 

I have a Waterman Mann 200 F that is as narrow as my modern Pelikan 200's EF. Waterman fans were right, if you want a Narrow nib..........go Japanese.

 

Cursive being flowing works well with wider nibs.

People who print could think of using a Japanese nib that is designed for a printed script.

 

I do suggest getting older tear drop 200 nibs, they have a nice springy ride, leave a clean line and are better than the semi-nail fat and blobby 600 nib.....hell of a lot cheaper too. The steel/gold plated 200 nibs  matched the semi-vintage 400/600 nibs.

So are better than modern semi-nail 400/600 nibs.

 

Suggest making all fat balled semi-nail nibs a nice CI. I have so many stubbed semi-flex the one CI I have is because the Lamy Persona 18k nail OB was for folks with left eye dominance in there was absolutely no line variation.

I should have had my BB 605 made CI also, but made it a B/1.0 stub.

 

I get a better nib in semi-vintage 200/400/600 and vintage 400. They will fit the 600.

If one has to go gold, then a vintage factory stubbed flair semi-flex 400 will bring joy into your life.